Cracking the Autism Code

Research in Clear Language

One of the main challenges of any large research initiative is not only to produce new, high quality knowledge but to also make sure that this knowledge is shared with the right people at the right time and in the right format. Basic information about the latest research in neurodevelopmental disorders is being “translated” so the knowledge can be shared between the producers (researchers), and the users (parents, teachers, clinicians, and policy makers).

Patient Advisory Committee (PAC)

A major POND initiative is the Patient Advisory Committee, a group of people with personal experience of the clinical and practical issues facing those with NDs, their families, and the people who provide their care. This group of volunteers serves as a sounding board for our ideas and activities and acts as advisors who recommend topics and content for this website. They represent the diverse opinions and needs of their communities and what ultimately defines them is their commitment to people with NDs.

POND Ripples

Sometimes when you do something you immediately see a reaction or consequence. Often, though, you can’t foresee how that one action sets in motion unseen consequences. Like tossing a pebble in a pond, it produces a ripple effect.

In the case of the POND Network website, if you read something here that interests you and you tell someone else about it, you could be creating a ripple. You never know how a bit of knowledge learned from our summaries might make a difference in a child’s life.

So, send friends and colleagues a link to our site, or email one of our PDFs about research results in neurodevelopmental disorders. You might just be that pebble….

Conferences

As part of our Knowledge Translation & Exchange System, we host conferences to help ensure that results of the POND Network studies reach our scientific community. The conferences let scientists talk to each other, so they can see how their research studies might intersect. They have opportunities to forge and strengthen collaborations and to teach and learn as colleagues, instead of competitors.

At our parent conferences we give feedback about POND Network research and let parents ask questions to the researchers directly. Parents can make known the issues of everyday life with a child with a neurodevelopmental disorder. Parents gain a greater understanding of the research process, and can suggest issues that could be addressed by POND Network research.

POND

The POND Network is a coordinated effort of Ontario scientists to investigate the neurobiology of neurodevelopment disorders such as ASD, ADHD, OCD and intellectual disability and translate the findings into effective new treatments. - Evdokia Anagnostou, MD, Study Principal Investigator